Let Me Hear a Rhyme

If there was ever a book written that speaks directly to the soul of 14-year-old me, it is Let Me Hear a Rhyme. On its surface, it’s a touching story of a group of friends refusing to let their friend become another anonymous victim of street violence. But it really feels like a long-overdue homage to the New York hip-hop scene at one of its most pivotal periods. The story takes place on the heels of the Notorious BIG’s murder, and opens with the funeral of Steph, a 16-year-old aspring rapper. With that major spoiler out of the way, the book turns to his sister Jasmine and his two best friends, Jarrell and Quadir, as they reckon with his loss and attempt to secure his legacy as one of the best to put on for Brooklyn. During their quest, they discover that each of them knew less about Steph’s life than they could have imagined. Let Me Hear a Rhyme doesn’t leave out any of the memorable people, places, and sounds of the New York hip-hop scene in the late ‘90s. Anyone who was a hip-hop head at that time will appreciate how Jackson weaves her story through the streets of Brooklyn. What’s most impressive is how seamlessly Jackson name-drops the biggest stars, club-commanding hits, biggest venues, and seminal events of the time. I can’t recall a time when I’ve read about The Tunnel — outside of maybe The Source or XXL — that appropriately revered the legendary club for how critical it was in the careers of so many artists, producers, and DJs and what an integral part of the hip-hop scene it was for everyone else. Overall, Let Me Hear a Rhyme is written with a level of care and authenticity that’s not always found. It doesn’t sugar coat the reality of Steph’s environment, but it also gives an inside glimpse that humanizes a community that’s often given short shrift in mass media. Reading Let Me Hear a Rhyme was certainly a nostalgic experience for me. Although I wasn’t in New York, it was definitely in my heart. Jasmine was a particularly relatable protagonist; I’ve never known another girl to get as excited as me to rush home to listen to Brand Nubian’s Foundation album. She could be me. Perhaps that’s why it’s so easy to empathize with what are otherwise risky and rash decisions of all three lead characters. For all their seemingly foolish bravado, it’s also simple to empathize with how and why they’re willing to take on what seem like impossible endeavors to not only break Steph into the music industry but to also find his killer. One of Jackson’s signatures is her approach to storytelling that blends present and past with multiple character perspectives. This style is particularly apt for Let Me Hear a Rhyme, because it highlights the nuanced relationships Steph had with his friends and family and the secrets each held with him. While this works well to get inside the heads of each character, it can be confusing at times trying to figure out the overall timeline. For me, it meant a lot of jumping back to previous chapters. If you’ve read Jackson before, this will feel familiar yet not quite as complicated as in Monday’s Not Coming. Once again, Tiffany D. Jackson has presented a book that tells a layered story in a captivating way. It’s clearly meant for a young adult audience, but I can’t help but recommend this to anyone who’s on the cusp of being a Gen Xer & millennial. It is technically historical fiction, and it brilliantly captures what hip-hop felt like back then, for better or worse.

There is so much I loved about this book yet so much that frustrated me at the same time. The book is based back in '97/'98 and the storyline is about 85% about music. The problem with this is every time a song or artist was mentioned I just had to listen to them. Unfortunately this is a YA book and I think the Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G, Lauryn Hill, and Lil' Lim mentions may be lost on the younger generation. I even had to look up some of the music myself. This was the third book I've read by Jackson and regrettably I did not see an improvement in her writing since her last book. The language of the characters was most definitely better and it was Brooklyn all over but the book itself had many flaws that an editor should have picked up. The same phrase was used by different characters on almost every other page plus there were many grammatical errors. Although my review of the book hasn't been as good as Jackson's other novels, I have to give Tiffany thanks for renewing my love for '90s music and returning it to my current Spotify play list.

Thought it was a good read like the plot twist

If you love Tiffany D. Jackson, or if you've never read one of her books, this is one you MUST read. It is a feel good story of friends, New York and music. This book took me back to my teenage years, specifically the year after I graduated from high school and it felt so damn good. So familiar, heartfelt and real. While reading I thought, wow, this could've really happened and wait, did this happen? Let Me Hear a Rhyme is a story that chronicles the daily struggles of inner city friends, the good times, secrets all of the realities that come with a real friendship. It tells a sweet story of a love that blossoms when you least expect it. And last but not least, it is a story about the love of hip hop, a love so pure that people just want to the art to be heard even when the artist is no longer here. I could be biased, cause this is my era but Jackson captures the essence of the golden era of hip hop when the world was still hurting over the loss of a giant and yet looking for the one who was going to be brave enough to step in those shoes. While, fictional, the plot is so believable as the picture painted throughout the course of this books is so authentic that it could've gone down just like that. If this was your generation, a time in your life in which you look upon fondly, get this book. If you're a teen wondering what it was like back then, you want to know what all the hype is about, pick up this book and don't put it down until you reach-- the end.

This 👏🏼 book 👏🏼 is 👏🏼 AMAZING!!! 👏🏼 I am completely blown away by the story line, the characters, the mystery, the rawness, the music, the history...I feel like I could go on and on. My entire google history is now full of questions about Biggie Smalls and Brooklyn and wow did I learn a lot! Jarrell, Quadir, and Jazz were brought together by the unthinkable tragedy of their best friend and brother being murdered. Who would want to kill Steph though? Everyone is holding onto a secret of their own and no one can be trusted, or can they? These three have one goal - to get Steph’s (the Architect) music into everyone’s hand and they won’t stop until they succeed! This YA novel has a little mystery, a little romance, and a whole lot of culture. I HIGHLY recommend this one!